


Black and White

by Puniyo



Series: Compass [4]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Domestic Fluff, It's sweet, M/M, R for retirement, abuse on monologues, beware of diabetes, mention of the R word
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 11:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11508876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puniyo/pseuds/Puniyo
Summary: When a sudden visitor wreaks havoc in TCC, Javi and Yuzu go on a date.





	Black and White

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe this past week has been an emotionally stressful one so I decided to go on introspection with my characters. It turned out to be quite sappy (it's good for my sore throat :p), but who doesn't like a little fluff. 
> 
> Also, Spanish is not my first language but I'll provide some explanations at the end. If you have any suggestion or correction to make, please do tell me ^^
> 
> Disclaimer: whatever is written here does not reflect the characters' thoughts or ideas. This is all from my imagination.

\- ‘It’s a _tanuki_.’ -

‘A what?’

Javier Fernandez has just arrived at the Cricket Club and finds Yuzuru Hanyu with his trolley next to him, his face a little disappointed, while Tracy pats his shoulders and Brian insists he goes home for some additional rest. All the skaters had a joint practice scheduled for that morning and he was apparently the last one to check in, but it was rare to even see the novice skaters there with some parents, some laughing and some angrily mumbling about the closure of the rink. He spots the Japanese skater amidst the crowd and finds his way between the sea of arms and sports bags.

\- ‘What happened today?’ – He removes his headphones and puts them around his neck, the music still audible.

\- ‘It’s a _tanuki_.’ – Yuzuru looks at his electronic toy as if he could name the model of the device.

\- ‘A what?’

His partner tries to explain the best he can, with a lot of gestures in between, and he comes up with ‘long fur’ and ‘black and white tail’, probably also ‘long nails’ but he still can’t guess what happened.

\- ‘Ha sido un mapache.’ – The other Javier interrupts them, his face also showing signs of resignation. – ‘Ha asustado los chicos. Y ahora tienen que limpiar el hielo.’

He notices that Yuzuru has this intrigued smile in his face, the one he always supports when he hears a foreign language that is not English. Being both Madrileños and with less than a week of difference between them, Raya always spoke Spanish whenever he could. It was _la sangre latina_ as he said.

\- ‘So, it was a raccoon.’

\- ‘Yes, a _tanuki_.’

Javier laughs at Yuzuru’s insistence with the Japanese name. Brian comes back at the moment after talking with some people in an uniform that he does not recognize as the staff in the club and the message was pretty clear – practice was to be cancelled. The Japanese skater sighs and their coach only gives a helpless, sympathetic nod at the situation.

Almost all the others had left – Raya was actually happy that they would have a day off and Elizabet’s mother even invited them for lunch, which he politely declined – but Yuzuru looked at the ice with such longing eyes that the glass between him and the rink seemed to be worse than any villain in the world of fiction.

He could not help but ruffle his hair, which he knew he did not like, and tickle his waist from behind so he could not offer any resistance. It was something he always did when the younger man entered in a trance state for whatever reason. Yuzuru was caught by surprise and the sudden stimulation made him lose balance, only to be caught in the arms of Javier, who grabbed his waist a little too tight and almost fell.

\- ‘Why are you crying?’ - ‘I’m not crying! I just want… to skate.’

\- ‘ _¡Que lástima!_ ’ – And he tried to tickle again but he did not want to risk to experience an elbow on his stomach. One time the younger man did (involuntarily) and the pain did not cease for two days. – ‘What are your plans for today?’

\- ‘Practice, training… play games?’ – Yuzuru counted with his fingers and all the activities included skating as the main ingredient or a pre-requisite.

\- ‘C’mon _Yuzuru_ ,’ – He still pronounced the name with a lisp and he would not change. His partner did not mind too. It made him feel especial. – ‘I have the perfect deal.’ – Javier let go of the younger man, not without poking one last time, like a call craving for attention.

\- ‘Where do we go?’ – His hand clutched the handle of his sports bag.

Javier smiled at him. – ‘Come and you will know.’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The escalators must uphold quite a large amount of weight thought Yuzuru as they rode a few until reaching the fifth floor, the description on the place indicating that it was the level for sportswear and bedding and linen products. They had grabbed a couple of sandwiches before coming (the Japanese skater made sure the red slices were tomatoes and not paprika) and although the overwhelming myriad of fragrances in the third floor did made his stomach convulse, the unpleasant feeling quickly dissipated. It was Thursday and, without estimating the number of sales clerks, there were not a lot of people in that space. It was delectably quiet and _Gabriel’s Oboe_ complemented the serenity of the atmosphere.

\- ‘Javi wants to buy new shoes?’ – Yuzuru noticed the Spaniard had his eyes glued to the mannequin on display. The black boots with golden studs were quite attractive.

The older man shook his head and pointed at the medium-sized jersey in front of them – pristine white, three turquoise stripes on the shoulder, V-neckline, _Fly Emirates_ on the center, and a yellow and red crown on the logo – it was uniform of Real Madrid for this coming season to be debuted on August.

The younger man has not seen Javier grin with such a childlike gleam and radiating such joy that he could not _not_ feel attracted to his charm. He knew his partner was a fan of football, more like a sophisticated devotee so it would not conflict with his robust passion for skating. He would still join a few matches after training if Raya invited him and he had even infuriated Brian a few times for arriving late since he refused to watch _los derbies_ or _los clásicos_ if they were not live.

They both entered the sportswear shop, with Yuzuru pulling Javier since he was still too mesmerized by the white outfit. They quickly went to the male’s section and the Spaniard picked another jersey.

\- ‘This would look great on you.’- He drew the shirt in front of Yuzuru albeit a little too large. It was of a somber grey and the turquoise stripes were on the side. – ‘It’s the away colors.’- He added when Yuzuru made in indignant look.

\- ‘I like _that_ one better.’ – There was an indigo and reddish jersey in display across them.

\- ‘No, Yuzu, that’s from Barcelona. It’s not the same team.’

\- ‘I know.’

\- ‘They are rival teams. But we won _La Liga_ this year.’ – There was a certain devious pride in that last sentence.

Yuzuru chuckled at those words. – ‘I like compete with Javi too.’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After some more bickering, as why blue gave him a sense of security, but then grey was also that alluring ambiguity he challenged himself most with, each man left with one item, the colors in the opposite side of the spectrum and that somehow matched quite well. It was actually Javier’s treat but he promised he would watch a match of _los merengues_ when he visits Spain later in the year (with a pinky promise so Javier could start planning their holidays).

\- ‘Do you still want to skate, Yuzu?’ – They were heading for the elevator by his suggestion.

\- ‘Rink is closed. Forget about tanuki already?’

\- ‘Do you want or not?’ – The metal doors closed behind them. – ‘Too late _cariño_.’ – And he pressed the _B1_ button.

It was a quick trip and a silent one too. The first one of the day. None of them talked. Only the music had changed to a techno beat one. And he still tried to hide his rosy cheeks when he heard that _name_. And he knew that Javier noticed it every time but pretended he didn’t.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were a few children. Not many, probably less than ten but the rink was also considerably smaller than the one they used to practice at and there were no mirrors or their names on the hall of fame. The boots in his hands were pretty worn out and the blade was thick and crude, not like his customized ones. There was no wing pattern as well.

\- ‘Rental skates are the best ones to show your talent, oh _maestro_ of the ice.’- Javier bowed with an arm out, not mocking his suspicious glare at the quality of the skates, but teasing him as when he was in a good mood.

Yuzuru stuck his tongue out and mentally cursed his own slowness in putting the boots on. As he stood up to check how much they cushioned his feet, and watching Javier gliding and doing a few crossovers, the Japanese skater thought that maybe the purpose of the shopping mall visit wasn’t for that sports jersey. The Spaniard normally ordered them online or his sponsors would deliver them quite punctually.

Stepping on the ice, he thought that maybe, it was a way to have their own joint training. And that _maybe_ , it was their date too.

From the other side of the rink, the Spaniard gained speed and launched into the air for a failed attempt on a triple Salchow. Yuzuru clapped and made a hand gesture telling him to pay attention to him for a complementary lesson on jumps. He tried a few twizzles and set his outside edge but he ended up popping the supposed triple Loop into a single one. This time, the blush was from embarrassment.

His body jerked in surprise when two hands suddenly grabbed his thigh, more like pinching, and it hurt slightly. It was a young boy, probably three or four years old, who could barely stand on the ice. Yuzuru tried to move but the kid just intensified the grip, afraid he might fall.

\- ‘He’s doing something I would love to.’ – Javier came close, a few ice sprinkles still on his sweatpants.

Yuzuru ignored the comment for _now_ and knelt, looking at the boy’s eyes while holding his tiny hands.

\- ‘What is your name?’ – His voice became even softer.

\- ‘Xa… Xavier.’ – The little boy stuttered while his legs trembled.

\- ‘Are you alone?’ The kid shook his head and pointed at a young woman by the boards who was gesturing frantically.

\- ‘Do you want skate?’

\- ‘I’m afraid.’

\- ‘Skate is fun!’ – And he stood up, ready to take-off. – ‘Javi, can you tell her we are okay? I skate with _Zavi_.’

Javier only nodded, if not a little jealous. He promptly reassured the exasperated woman, who was the boy’s mother, that his partner meant no harm and was also not bothered with the situation. She drew a long sigh of relief. The Spaniard kept chatting with her but the squeals and clamors of joy reverberated through the rink and the other children on the ice also stepped aside to watch them.

Yuzuru’s contagious laughter reflected on the ice and they sounded especially _beautiful_ on Javier’s ears. He guided the small boy on how to slide, their hands never detaching from each other. Even on rental skates, the Japanese man’s edges were perfect. They circled the rink, the first time in baby steps and resembling two penguins walking, but it soon evolved into a sprinting race – the faster they were, the more exciting it was. They did loops on the ice, hop jumps and some not-so-balanced spirals.

Yuzuru would make a good coach, Javier thought to himself. He smiled to himself, trying to disguise the sudden anxiety that tingled his little finger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The journey back home was a quiet one. The second one of the day. None of them talked. Yuzuru noted that Javier never looked at him during the bus transfer, that his eyes were focused on the running outside scenery without really registering anything, that his mind had wandered to some realm he was not invited to. They also ate their dinner in silence, a take away from a Chinese restaurant near the older man’s house. The spare ribs were slightly too sour even with the sweet sesame glaze and the Spaniard’s occasional clumsy struggle with the bamboo chopsticks earned a few snickers from both men.

Effie decide to join the table during dessert time, her tail carelessly sweeping over Yuzuru’s white tainted with brown _stracciatella_ gelato. The Japanese skater wiped the fur with his napkin and petted her head, touching her nose the way he knew she liked.

\- ‘Effie looks like a tanuki.’

\- ‘ _¡No!_ ’ – Javier picked his cat who wasn’t all that willing to part from the younger man’s caress. She stayed in his lap anyway. – ‘Effie is no raccoon. And she doesn’t like ice.’

Yuzuru finally found the crack in his partner’s armor and the chance to end the secrecy that filled the room.

\- ‘What’s wrong Javi?’

Effie returned to her corner in the sofa when her owner’s hand stopped.

\- ‘Don’t you get tired?’ – He scooped another spoon of his coffee ice cream before it melted.

\- ‘Tired?’

\- ‘You know, go to the rink three to four hours every day, gym on Wednesdays, flexibility on Fridays. Quad Loops one day, triple Axels the other.’ – He continued when Yuzuru only smiled and nodded, not sure whether he understood or it was just a confirmation that he was listening. – ‘My body is sore. My waist still hurts from the Lutz last week. When I jump, I sometimes am scared that I might be injured. How do you continue?’

Yuzuru was a little taken aback by those words, not expecting that Javier could be insecure about their careers as athletes. Yes, sacrifices had to be made. How many times they had to fall until their sheer determination and perseverance finally conquered the precipitous gravity and cunning blades from slipping. Or how many times their bodies had to suppress the pain on the ice only to feel the aches and cramps when they lay down at night and could not sleep because no position was comfortable enough. How much could one’s body take and still how much could one push, to go beyond limits?

\- ‘But you gave me strength this afternoon.’

\- ‘Me?’

Javier explained how he really missed seeing the young man being himself and for himself in the ice. There was no audience, no Brian, no Tracy, no judges to please and scores to hunt for. There was only a layer of frozen water, a man and a pair of skates. There were no expectations, no pressure – only freedom.

\- ‘You would make a good coach Yuzu.’

\- ‘Javi has more patience.’

\- ‘But the kids would still like you.’

\- ‘Do you want to be a coach, Javi?’

The Spaniard became silent again, hesitant what to reply. He would be lying if he declared that he had not thought of retirement this past season.

\- ‘I don’t know. Maybe. But it’s scary, isn’t it?’

Yuzuru finished his ice cream, only a remnant of a chocolate chip left in the small bowl.

\- ‘It’s tough but I don’t want to hang my skates yet. I still want more programs and choreographies. I want to listen to more music and try more costumes and–’

\- ‘Javi needs _better_ costumes. More colors and stones and more… more _taste_.’ – Yuzuru interrupted him, licking his spoon as he finished the remark.

The older man raised his eyebrows and chuckled – relaxed and uninhibited. -

‘Maybe _better_ costumes.’ – The other’s wide grin was provocative but he would deal with it _later_. – ‘I would miss people clapping for me in the Kiss and Cry.’

\- ‘Interviews in Kiss and Cry are scary. Very scary in English.’

This time, both men laughed so loud that even Effie was startled by the sudden increase of volume of their voices.

\- ‘Skating is scary.’ – Yuzuru agreed with his partner. – ‘But I’m happy I came to Toronto. People are nice. Training got better. I got more medals.’

The Japanese skater put down the dessert spoon and held the Spaniards hand, interlacing their fingers.

\- ‘I also met Javi.’

Javier could swear that his worries would not fade immediately. But he knew he wasn’t alone.

\- ‘This season is important. It’s Olympics. I want gold and _uncle_ is scared.’

\- ‘Who are you calling _uncle_?’ Yuzuru tried to dodge away from the hand that ruffled his hair but Javier held him firm and had even risen to his feet to get closer to his partner.

\- ‘You better be careful because I’m aiming for the podium too.’

\- ‘I wait on the top _uncle_.’

Javier was also glad he had Yuzuru – more than he could imagine. – ‘I’ll meet you there, _cariño_.’

**Author's Note:**

> 'Ha sido un mapache. Ha asustado los chicos. Y ahora tienen que limpiar el hielo.' - It was a raccoon. It frightened the kids and now they need to clean the ice. 
> 
> la sangre latina - the latino (latin) blood. As in someone who is proud to be of Spanish origin (also other countries from Central and South America) 
> 
> ¡Que lástima! - What a pity! (Spanish uses inverted exclamation marks at the beginning of the expression. The same with questions)
> 
> Los derbies and los clásicos - a derby is a match for teams of the same town, city or region and a classic, as the name says, it's a match between fierce rivals. 
> 
> La Liga - the major Spanish football league.
> 
> los merengues - a nickname for players of Real Madrid. 
> 
> maestro - conductor of an orchestra/someone who leads.
> 
> Xavier - the English spelling for Javier :p 
> 
> Cariño - this is equivalent to 'dear' in English, but it is a very endearing term and normally used by lovers.


End file.
